1. Europe
Children, mobile phones
and online safety
As the use of mobile phones by children and young people continues to grow,
mobile operators need to adopt a consistently responsible approach in order
to protect and support younger users. The GSMA leads and participates in
many initiatives which are designed to address issues related to child
protection and the safer use of mobile phones by children and young people.

2. Europe
1. Action against online child sexual abuse ■ These recommendations cover access 3. Working in partnership and with
content (child pornography) control mechanisms for mobile key stakeholders
operators’ own and third party
In 2008 the GSMA launched the Mobile commercial content, the classification Engagement between the GSMA and
Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse of this content according to existing other industry organisations and external
Content, an international industry standards in other media, education stakeholders is critical to the success of
initiative to obstruct the use of the and awareness-raising on the safer initiatives in the area of child online safety.
mobile environment by individuals or use of mobile devices by children,
organisations wishing to consume or profit and fighting illegal content on mobile ■ Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI)
from child sexual abuse content. community products and the Internet. The GSMA is a member of FOSI, which
Through the Mobile Alliance initiative, Endorsed by Viviane Reding, European works to make the online world safer for
mobile operators have commited to Commissioner for Information Society children and their families by identifying
creating significant barriers to the misuse and Media, the Framework has led to and promoting best practice, tools and
of mobile networks and services for the development of codes of conduct on methods in the field of online safety,
hosting, accessing, or profiting from safer mobile use in 23 EU Member States that also respect free expression. FOSI
child sexual abuse content. The Alliance to the benefit of 96% of European mobile does this through the development of
encourages all mobile operators, regardless customers. public policy, technology, education and
of access technology, and the wider mobile www.gsmworld.com/safermobileuse special events. Natasha Jackson, Head
community to participate in the Alliance. of Content Policy at the GSMA, is the
www.gsmworld.com/mobilealliance Research and Educational Resources current Chair of FOSI.
To gain a better understanding of and
■ ITU Child Online Protection (COP)
2. Promoting a responsible approach to share information about the ways in which The GSMA is a member of the ITU’s
children’s use of mobile phones children use mobile phones around the COP initiative and has worked to share
world, the GSMA regularly undertakes its knowledge and experience of mobile
The GSMA undertakes a number of phone safety into the industry guidelines
research projects in partnership with other
programmes and initiatives designed to produced by the ITU.
industry players and academic research
safeguard the use of mobile phones by
organisations. The report “Children’s ■ Financial Coalition against
children and to enable operators to address
Use of Mobile Phones – An International Child Pornography
new issues in an efficient and timely manner.
Comparison” is published annually The GSMA is a formal collaborator with
by the GSMA in conjunction with NTT The Financial Coalition Against Child
Support and informational resources DOCOMO’s Mobile Society Research Pornography, a coalition of credit card
for mobile operators Institute (MSRI), and compares the social issuers and Internet services companies
■ The GSMA encourages its member impact of mobile phone use by children which seeks to eliminate the profitability
operators to adopt responsible at different stages in their development in of commercial child pornography by
approaches to children’s use of mobile geographically diverse countries. following the flow of funds and shutting
phones and in particular their access to www.gsmworld.com/childrenresearch down the payments accounts that are
age sensitive content (i.e. content that in being used by these illegal entreprises.
other types of media may be subject to ■ Hotlines and other stakeholders
age-related restrictions). In its work with the Mobile Alliance, the
■ The GSMA provides support, education GSMA also works closely with INHOPE
and informational resources to its (the International Association of Internet
members and shares best practice and Hotlines) as well as other external
produces toolkits for member operators stakeholders that are actively engaged
which include information and case in combating online child sexual abuse
studies on initiatives undertaken around TeachToday – Public-private partnership
content.
the world. to deliver educational resources
– The GSMA is a member of the
The GSMA has joined other leading Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the
Self-regulatory frameworks internet, mobile network and social UK internet ‘Hotline’ for the public
and initiatives networking providers and European to report their exposure to online
Schoolnet, a network of 31 Ministries of child sexual abuse content hosted
The GSMA promotes self-regulatory
Education, to deliver TeachToday – an anywhere in the world and criminally
approaches to children’s use of mobile
educational website which provides obscene and incitement to racial
phones which are more effective in
information and advice for teachers hatred content hosted in
adapting to fast moving technologies
and the school community on the the UK.
and allow for differences in cultural and
positive, responsible and safe use of new www.gsmworld.com/childprotection
societal standards.
communications technologies. The website
is being localised in multiple languages
European Framework for Safer Mobile and countries across Europe.
Use by Younger Teenagers and Children
www.teachtoday.eu
■ A self-regulatory initiative by the mobile
industry, which makes recommendations
to ensure that younger teenagers and
children can safely access content on
their mobile phones.
living with technology
© Copyright GSMA 2009.